BHUBANESWAR: The two-day National Urban Conclave 2026 concluded here on Sunday, with rollout of a series of initiatives and actionable recommendations to strengthen urban governance, planning and service delivery towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
The conclave saw the launch of ‘Used Water Marketplace’, a digital platform under AMRUT 2.0 scheme, that connects ULBs with potential users and investors in the treated used-water ecosystem. Under the initiative, ULBs can list the quantity and quality of treated water available for sale, enabling industries, institutions and private entities to identify and access procurement opportunities.
An online Interactive Municipal Finance Data Hub platform was also launched to enable municipal reforms like enhancement of municipal revenue and the availability of real-time digital data on municipal revenue and expenditure of ULBs.
The Street Food Hubs initiative under PM SVANidhi to formally begin the development of 18 selected Street Food Hubs under the scheme was also rolled out. A web and mobile application designed to enable digital monitoring of Central Public Works department projects from initiation to completion, and an internship scheme through the National Internship Portal and ‘Swachhata Ke Superheroes’ - a book for children, were also unveiled.
An MoU was signed between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation to strengthen technical cooperation in promoting the circular use of treated used water. Seven technical sessions on different topics, including ‘Right to Walk’, Affordable Housing - Demand and Supply Dynamics and ‘Integrated Urban Development and Infrastructure Delivery’, outlined key reforms for building inclusive, resilient and future-ready cities.
Delivering the closing remarks, Union Housing and Urban Affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar highlighted the progress achieved through national missions, including AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban and PM SVANidhi, in expanding water and sanitation services, improving waste management, strengthening urban mobility and promoting financial inclusion. Union Urban Development secretary Satendra Singh and NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba also spoke.